W. S. BRISTOWE - A Book of Islands

London England, G. Bell and Sons Ltd, 1969. First Edition, Binding: Cloth, Very Good/Fair. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall 0713515295 Hardback Hardback. First Edition. Slight foxing to end inside covers and edge. Small tear to top edge of back D/J. Waterstain mark to bottom edge of D/J. Price clipped. For ordinary mortals, the opportunity to savour the charms of such lonely spots as Jan Mayen Island, Anak Krakatoa and Deserta Grande are few and far between, but the author's delightful account of a lifetime's collecton of visits to islands great and small from the Pacific to the Arctic brings them sharply to life. His adventures on them range from smuggling and hopes of treasure-trove to the first landing on a new island and scientific gold in the shape of newly discovered species; the local lore he has gathered deals with the ways of pirates and the Little Folk as well as more serious history. His training as a naturalist reveals hidden beauties among the fauna and flora, while his archaeologist friends explore the past with an equally keen eye for the unexpected. As if this variety were not already enough, he has, like all good travellers, an equally rich fund of anecdotes about his fellow-voyagers. This is a travel book of an unusual kind, one man's miscellany of experiences linked by a common theme to which each episode returns; the enchantment of isolation and independence that lies behind the dream of an ideal island. Illustrations. 208 pp. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions ,and all types of Academic Literature.).